Native American Legends

How the Coyote was deceived by the Wren

A Hopi Legend

Halíksai! A long time ago, when they were living in Oraíbi,
the Coyote Woman lived at Íshmovala. She had four children.
She always went hunting mice and other little animals, which she
brought to her children and fed them to the latter. She went to
the spring, Flute Spring (Lâ'nva) and Dawn Spring (Taláova),
after water for her children, but as she had no water vessel she
brought the water in her mouth. When she had given one of the children
to drink she would run again and get some more for the other children
until they were all satisfied. In that way she was feeding and watering
her children.

One time she again went after water to the Dawn Spring, filling
her mouth very full. When she returned she saw a Wren sitting on
a rock, and when she came near the bird, the latter was jumping
up and down from one rock to another singing as follows:

Calapongki, cholo, cholo,

Calapongki, cholo, cholo,

Riuw, riuw.

When the Coyote saw it she had to laugh, and spilled the water
from her mouth. "Now then, why are you dancing there that way
that I had to laugh and spill my water; I shall have to get some
more," whereupon she ran back to the spring to get some more
water. When she came back with her mouth full she thought that this
time she was not going to laugh, but when she arrived at the place
where the Tû'chvo was dancing and saw the latter dance and
heard him singing in the same manner, she again had to laugh, saying:
"Poáh," by which she again spilled the water. But
this time she was angry and said: "Why are you dancing and
singing here that way that I have to spill this water? My children
are thirsty and they will die. Now, I am going back to get some
more water, and if you are doing that still when I return and I
spill the water again, I shall devour you." Hereupon she returned
to the spring to fill her mouth again.

While the Coyote was gone the Wren slipped out of its skin and
dressed up a stone with the skin so that it looked like a Wren.
This artificial bird he put up where he had been sitting and he
himself slipped under a rock, waiting for the Coyote. When the latter
came along the Wren began singing the same song from under the rock.
The Coyote began to laugh, saying: ''Poáh" and spilled
the water. She was now very angry. "Now then," she said,
"you are still singing that way here and I am going to devour
you," whereupon she grabbed the stone dressed in the bird's
skin and crushed it. She broke all her teeth so that the blood was
streaming from her mouth. She ran back to the Dawn Spring in order
to wash her face, but as she stooped over the water she saw someone
with a bloody face staring at her.

She at once left the spring without having drunk any water, and
ran to Spider Spring, where she was scared away in the same manner.
From here she ran to Dripping Spring (Shívukva), where she
met with the same disappointment. Hereupon she ran to Hotvâl
Spring (Hótvâlva). Here again she was scared away by
the face staring at her, and without daring to drink she rushed
away westward to the Grand Canyon. Arriving at the rim of the Canyon
she jumped into the canyon and perished.